Well, that's over. I don't really know what else I expected from a book called Dark Age, but 34 hours of audiobook and a lot of death got very annoying. We started off with a seven-hour space battle, but thankfully, the rest of the book was mostly political and interpersonal drama, which I always enjoy more. There were some clever moments. Pierce Brown is a good writer. His characterization is phenomenal, and he made me like characters I thought couldn't be redeemed. There was also some cool baptism imagery.

But when I think about it, not a lot of things actually happened in this book, and I really don't think it needed to be as long as it is. The sheer gore and violence and trauma of it was a lot, and I think even if you tolerated the rest of the series this one might give you pause. Plus, with like eight different factions warring for goals I only partially comprehended, it became increasingly hard to follow the convolutions of the war. And I guess I can point to this series as an example of a best-selling author who has so many characters that no one can remember who they are. I like big books but it gets a little complicated when people are referencing Tactus, Apollonius, Adrius, Cassius, Diomedes, Romulus, Ajax, Apollo, Ares, Pax, etc. and it's just like okay, *which* Greek/Roman mythological character are we talking about now and WHICH BLOODYDAMN SIDE OF THE WAR IS HE ON??

Another problem I have with these books is that the stakes are simultaneously very high and nonexistent. Brown isn't afraid to kill off his characters (I've always admired that about his writing), and this book is the most devastating yet. Gah. I'm glad he's willing to show the horrors of war even though I'm not convinced he ought to have killed certain people. But on the other hand, if a character is heavily injured but still alive, there are few consequences in the end. A guy gets a whole new set of teeth! Another gets a new leg! The medical technology is so fantastic that when someone is grievously injured, I'm not worried because I know they'll be fine in the end. It makes for a very emotionally confusing ride.

All in all, this was okay, but it didn't live up to my expectations (set by the wonder that is Iron Gold) and is making me a little skeptical about the next two books. I finished it with a sigh of relief, because I have another month until Light Bringer's release, which means a month without watching millions die over and over for a war that I'm not convinced anyone, not even the author, believes in anymore.